Molding apparatus

ABSTRACT

A molding apparatus particularly for forming articles of moldable food material such as patties from ground meat, fish and the like in which a mold device having a plurality of mold openings for forming a plurality of the articles is moved between charging and discharging stations for these openings and there is provided at the discharging station one or a plurality of separate transporting means such as one or more endless conveyors for conveying the articles to one or a plurality of of separate destinations. One specific example of this is to have two sets of mold openings each for shaping patties and a pair of endless conveyors on which articles from the openings are deposited with one conveyor transporting the patties to one destination such as a fast freezer while the other conveyor transports its patties to a separate destination such as a cooker-canner. The width of coverage of the patties on the conveyor or conveyors is determined by the angular arrangement of the mold relative to the conveyor or conveyors.

llaite tates atet [1 1 Holly [111 3,75%,232 1 Aug.7, 1973 MOLDINGAPPARATUS [75] lnventori Harry H. Holly, Olympia Fields, 111.

22 Filed: Feb. 25, 1972 [2]] Appl. No.: 229,407

[52] 11.8. C1. 117/32 [51] Int. Cl. A22c 7/00 [58] Field of Search17/32; 425/251, 252

l 56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,416,187 12/1968 Charter17/32 3,203,037 8/1965 Anhanger et al. 17/32 3,241,178 3/1966 Bridge17/32 3,457,587 7/1969 Holly 17/32 Primary Examiner-Louis G. ManceneAssistant Examiner-D. L. Weinhold AttorneyAxel A; Hofgren et al.

PA T T Y MACHINE [57] ABSTRACT A molding apparatus particularly forforming articles of moldable food material such as patties from groundmeat, fish and the like in which a mold device having a plurality ofmold openings for forming a plurality of the articles is moved betweencharging and discharging stations for these openings and there isprovided at the discharging station one or a plurality of separatetransporting means such as one or more endless conveyors for conveyingthe articles to one or a plurality of of separate destinations. Onespecific example of this is to have two sets of mold openings each forshaping patties and a pair of endless conveyors on which articles fromthe openings are deposited with one conveyor transporting the patties toone destination such as a fast freezer while the other conveyortransports its patties to a separate destination such as acooker-canner. The width of coverage of the patties on the conveyor orconveyors is determined by the angular arrangement of the mold relativeto the conveyor or conveyors.

v 7 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures CONVEYOR PATENTED AUG 7 3.750.232

SHEEI 1 OF 4 FIG. I

52 FREEZER l I 48 if COOKER CANNER PA T T Y MACHINE CONVEYOR PATENTEUAUB 71975 SHEEI 3 BF 4 MOLDING APPARATUS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Amolding apparatus for forming a plurality of articles such as patties ofground meat simultaneously is disclosed and claimed in James A. HollyU.S. Pat. No. 3,654,665.

In a further development of this subject there is disclosed and claimedin Holly et al. Pat. application Ser. No. 178,654, filed Sept. 8, 197],a molding apparatus in which the patties are formed in openings arrangedin a plurality of transverse rows across a mold plate.

The apparatus of the present invention is also for formingsimultaneously a plurality of articles from a pressure flowable plasticand moldable material such as ground food material in a plurality oftransverse rows and also provides means by which each row is depositedon the same or a separate conveyor-at an angle to provide rows ofpatties of preselected width.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of anapparatus with two conveyors.

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic fragmentary plan view of regulating the widthof the deposits of patties.

FIGS. 3 and 4 are detail sections through a portion DESCRIPTION OF THEPREFERRED EMBODIMENT The molding apparatus is substantially the same asthe apparatus shown, described and claimed in the above U.S. Pat. No.3,654,665, except for an improved catch structure 11 that is embodied inan apparatus shown, described and claimed in James A. Holly U.S. Pat.No. 3,693,213. All of these patents and the application are assigned tothe same assignee as the present application.

The apparatus 10 includes a hopper 12 having a bottom section 13 dividedby a central partition 14 so as to provide two halves in each of whichis located a horizontally reciprocable ram 15.

In order to provide for a smooth uninterrupted flow of moldable materialand particularly adhesive food material such as ground meat downwardlyin the hoppeer to the rams 15 there are provided arcuately reciprocableagitators 16 in each hopper bottom section above a ram 15 and a pair ofrotatable mover devices 17 above and on opposite sides of the agitator16. These agitators and mover devices and the operating means thereforare disclosed in detail and claimed in the above application Ser. No.26,814.

There is provided at least one mold plate 18, and in this disclosedembodiment a pair of side-by-side mold plates, each containing aplurality of sets (here shown as two) of side-by-side mold openings 19and 20. In the illustrated embodiment the mold openings 20 are locatedforwardly of the mold openings 19 so that there is thus provided tworows of eight openings for forming l6 patties simultaneously.

As is explained in more detail and claimed in the above copendingapplications the mold plates 18 are reciprocated between a chargingstation illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 7 and a discharging station shown inFIG. 4. At the discharging station there are provided two sets of thecustomary knockout rings illustrated schematically at 21 which arelowered simultaneously into the mold openings 19 and 20 for dislodgingthe formed patties 22 therefrom. As the knockout rings and the operatingmechanism therefor are not essential to the present invention as claimedthey are not illustrated in detail.

The mold plate or plates 18 are reciprocated from the position of FIG. 7to the position of FIG. 3 and back again in timed sequence while at thesame time the ram or rams 15 are reciprocated so that at the chargingstation the rams are in their forward position as shown in FIG. 3 whileat the discharging station the rams 15 are at their greatest retractedposition as shown in FIG. 4. The apparatus for reciprocating the ram orrams 15 which is shown in greater detail and claimed in the above U.S.Pat. No. 3,654,665 includes a horizontal bar 23 that is reciprocated byside drive racks and pinions 24 between a forwardmost position as shownin solid lines in FIG. 7 and a rearwardmost position as shown in brokenlines at the left side of FIG. 7.

Also as illustrated and claimed in the above U.S. Pat. No. 3,654,665there are provided precompressed springs 25, adjustable nut 26 forapplying this precompression and cross bars 27 for each ram 15.

In order to retain each ram 15 in its forwardmost position of FIG. 3until the mold plate has been moved forwardly away from the chargingstation there is provided the catch 11 and retainer 28 for each ram 15also as described and claimed in the above application Ser. No. 26,814.

As can be seen from the above description the mold openings 19 and 20are arranged in sets in which one opening 20 of a pair-of openings 19and 20 is located generally longitudinally forwardly of the otheropening 19. The ram 15 thereupon functions as a pressure exerting partof a supply means for supplying the moldable and flowable plasticmaterial such as ground meat 29 under pressure to the openings.

Thus, as illustrated in FIG. 3, at the charging station the ram 15 is inits forwardmost position to extend into the bottom section 13 of thehopper 12 to force material from the space 30 in front of the forwardend 31 of the ram, down into and rearwardly through a channel 32 in atop plate base member 33, down through a passage means 34 in the form ofa transverse slot in the mold plate 18 and into the entrance end 35 ofan elongated manifold 36 in a bottom base member 37. The mold plate 18is thereby mounted for reciprocation between the base members 33 and 37with the bottom base member 37 being supported by a frame plate 38.

The manifold 36 has a pair of upwardly extending spaced passages 39 and40 leading to the mold openings 19 and 20, respectively, at the rearedges thereof when the mold plate 18 has been retracted to its chargingposition as shown in FIG. 7. As is explained in more detail in the aboveU.S. Pat. No. 3,654,665 the rack and pinion drive 24 reciproeates theram 15 forwardly as indicated by the arrow 41 while the mold plate isreciprocated rearwardly as indicated by the arrow 42. It

is of course evident that in the position of FIG. 7 both the ram and themold plate 18 are temporarily stationary to provide the time intervalfor filling the mold openings 19 and 20.

Mounted on the sides of the apparatus are a pair of knockout apparatus43 for removing the patties simultaneously from the extended mold plates18 in the manner illustrated in FIG. 4. Each knockout apparatus 43comprises a toggle arrangement including a bar 44 pivotally mounted atone end about an adjustable pivot hinge 45 and with the forward end ofthis bar 44 being hingedly attached to a horizontal plate 46. The end ofeach side plate 46 that is closer to the hopper 12 is attached to avertical bar 47 whose lower end is hingedly attached to a secondforwardly extending bar 48. This bar 48 which is beneath itscorresponding first bar 44 is also hingedly mounted to the apparatus 10about a pivot 49. The bar 48 is much higher than the bar 44 as can beseen in FIGS. 3 and 4 and thus the pivot 49 is spaced a considerabledistance forwardly of the pivot 45 for the bar 44.

Extending between the rigid and generally vertically movable sidehorizontal plates 46 are a pair of parallel cross bars 50 and 51 on eachof which is mounted a plurality, here shown as two assemblies of foureach, of knockout rings 52 and 53. These knockout rings are adapted tobe snapped downwardly into the corresponding mold openings 54 and S5 inthe mold plates I8 when the plates are in their extending position asshown in FIG. 4.

In order to provide this sharp downward knockout motion each side bar 44of the knockout apparatus 43 is provided with a pair of tension springs56 with each of the two pairs of springs that are on opposite sides ofthe apparatus having their lower ends attached to a mounting bracket 57and their upper ends attached to retaining clips 58 on the forwardportion of the corresponding side bar 44.

In order to cushion the termination of the downward movement of theapparatus 43 each upper bar 44 is provided with a downwardly extendingstop bracket 59 carrying on its lower end a transverse foot 60 that issnapped against a rubber bumper 61.

The apparatus as described forms simultaneously a plurality of articlessuch as the ground beef patties 22 from a pressure flowable plastic andmoldable material such as the exemplary ground raw beef. The articlesare formed in the movable mold such as the mold plate 18 having theplurality of mold openings 54 and 55 therein in two parallel transverserows similar to the arrangement and spacing of the knockout rings 52 and53.

The apparatus provides for moving the mold plate means 18 between acharging station which is the position shown in FIGS. 1, 3 and 7 and adischarging station as illustrated in FIG. 4 where the molded pattiesare removed. .There is also provided in FIG. 1 a plurality of separatetransporting means at the discharging station for transporting thearticles to a plurality of separate destinations. Thus in the FIG. 1embodiment the transporting means is illustrated by an upper endlessconveyor 63 and a lower similar conveyor 64 both driven by a singledrive means 65. These endless conveyors transport the articles such asthe ground beef patties to a plurality of separate destinations which asillustrated in FIG. 1 may be a fast food freezer shown diagrammaticallyat 66 where the raw patties may be quickly frozen and a seconddestination being the cooker-canner also shown diagrammatically at 67.

As is shown diagrammatically in FlG. 2, the overall width of thedeposited articles such as the double arrangement of patties can beregulated by regulating the angle of the mold plate 18 to the path ofmovement illustrated by the arrow 70 of the conveyor 63 or 64. Thus, inthe illustrated embodiment of FIG. 2, the front row 7] of patties isdeposited on the top or receiving surface of the one conveyor 63 and,because of the angular relationship which is less than the overall widthof this deposit in the direction 70 is substantially equal to the widthof the conveyor 63. This occurs in spite of the fact that the front row71 of patties in the mold openings extends across a mold plate 18 widththat is considerably greater than the width of the conveyor 63 receivingsurface. In the same manner, the back row 72 of patties is deposited onthe conveyor 64 also to cover substantially the full width thereof. InFIG. 1 the conveyors are shown vertically spaced while in FIG. 2 theyare generally side-by-side.

It is of course apparent that instead of having the two conveyors 63 and64 spaced side-by-side as shown in FIG. 2, there could be provided oneoverall conveyor having a total width equivalent to the sum of thewidths of the individual conveyors 63 and 64.

Thus, with this invention as illustrated in FIG. 2, the overall width ofeach row of patties is determined solely by the angular relationship ofthe mold plate 18 and the path of movement 70 on the conveyor orconveyors. In one embodiment of this invention where the mold plate 18has an overall width of 40 inches, it 13 possible with the two rows 71and 72 of patties in the illustrated angular relationship to cover atotal width of the conveyor up to about 56 inches.

Having described my invention as related to the embodiment shown in theaccompanying drawings, it is my intention that the invention be notlimited by any of the details of description, unless otherwisespecified, but rather be construed broadly within its spirit and scopeas set out in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. Molding apparatus for forming simultaneously a plurality of articlesfrom a pressure flowable plastic and moldable material, comprising: amovable mold having a plurality of rows of transversely arranged moldopening means extending across a width of said mold for forming aplurality of said articles in said openings; means for moving said moldin a mold path between charging and discharging stations for said moldopenings; supply means for supplying said material to said openings atsaid charging station; transporting means at said discharging stationhaving a receiving surface for transporting said articles in atransporting path to a destination, said receiving surface having awidth differing from said width of the mold opening means; transfermeans at said discharging station for transferring said articles fromsaid mold openings to said transporting means; and means for arrangingsaid path of the movable mold and said path of said transporting meansat a selected angle to deposit said articles in a pattern having aselected width on said transporting means that is substantially equal tothe width of said receiving surface.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said transporting means comprises aplurality of conveyors.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein there are two of said rows.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein each said row is deposited on aseparate conveyor.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said mold opening means are arrangedin sets spaced longitudinally with respect to the direction of movementof said mold. 6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said transportingmeans comprises a plurality of conveyors each arof the sets of moldopenings at said discharging station. l l i '0' III

1. Molding apparatus for forming simultaneously a plurality of articles from a pressure flowable plastic and moldable material, comprising: a movable mold having a plurality of rows of transversely arranged mold opening means extending across a width of said mold for forming a plurality of said articles in said openings; means for moving said mold in a mold path between charging and discharging stations for said mold openings; supply means for supplying said material to said openings at said charging station; transporting means at said discharging station having a receiving surface for transporting said articles in a transporting path to a destination, said receiving surface having a width differing from said width of the mold opening means; transfer means at said discharging station for transferring said articles from said mold openings to said transporting means; and means for arranging said path of the movable mold and said path of said transporting means at a selected angle to deposit said articles in a pattern having a selected width on said transporting means that is substantially equal to the width of said receiving surface.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said transporting means comprises a plurality of conveyors.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein there are two of said rows.
 4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein each said row is deposited on a separate conveyor.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said mold opening means are arranged in sets spaced longitudinally with respect to the direction of movement of said mold.
 6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said transporting means comprises a plurality of conveyors each arranged to receive molded articles from different sets of said mold opening means.
 7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said plurality of conveyors are vertically spaced from each other and have article receiving back ends horizontally spaced from each other distances corresponding to the spacing of the sets of mold openings at said discharging station. 